Distinguished historian Nell Irvin Painter spoke to students about her research in her latest book, The History of White People. The book guides readers through more than 2,000 years of Western civilization, illuminating not only the invention of race, but also the frequent praise of “whiteness.” She is the author of several books and countless articles relating to the history of the American South. Her critically acclaimed book, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol, won the nonfiction prize of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. A graduate of Harvard University, Painter retired from the Princeton history department in 2005. She met with students this winter as the Henry R. Heyburn Lecturer in History.
“Depictions of race turn inevitably toward outward appearance and concepts of beauty. Superior races are deemed beautiful, while inferior races—poor people—are termed ugly. However, because no freestanding definitions of race exist, who is beautiful and who is ugly continues to change over time. When submission and obedience were prized as the ultimate attributes for womanliness, the most beautiful women were slaves. Later on, the richest people were deemed beautiful.”